Heine Bros logo.
Heine Bros Coffee has promoted longtime finance and operations leader Jessica Lord to chief executive officer, marking a generational leadership shift at the Louisville-based specialty coffee chain.
Lord joined the company in 2010, serving as director of finance before taking on the COO role in 2022. As CEO, she replaces Mike Mays, who will remain with the company in a founder role.
An iconic Louisville coffee brand and an early adopter of sustainable sourcing practices such as Fairtrade and USDA Organic certifications, as well as direct trade and cooperative buying, Heine Bros now has 17 company-operated coffee shops throughout greater Louisville, plus one licensed location inside the Omni Louisville Hotel.
In 2022, Heine Bros workers voted overwhelmingly to unionize, making it the second-largest unionized coffee chain in the country. The union and the company reached a contract 10 months later.
Mays and Gary Heine founded the company in 1994 with a single location in the Highlands neighborhood.
In a LinkedIn post, the company described Lord’s appointment as “an exciting new chapter for our team, our partners and the communities we serve.” It also said Mays will continue to support the company’s “growth and mission.”
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